If You Can Only See
by Meganlovesjb
Summary: A Nemi One Shot.  I watched her fall harder for him every day and I watched Joe's indifference.  Maybe he'd gone into it with good intentions, but in the end she was paying the price.


_**If You Could Only See**_

"Joe!" I heard a squeal as I rounded the corner. I rolled my eyes at the sight of him tickling her against the wall outside the dressing rooms, and tried to brush past in annoyance.

Joe's latest fling? Ashley Greene. Nothing against the girl, she was perfectly pleasant, but I didn't expect her to last any longer than most of his others. Joe had what I liked to call a short attention span. His routine was to find a new girl, preferably high profile, turn on the charm, make her fall for him hard and fast and then grow tired of her and move on, dumping her on her ass without a second thought. And quite frankly I was growing sick of watching it.

Joe and Ashley were a whole new level of annoying. They'd grown to be that couple that had to constantly be touching each other or they couldn't breathe. It made me sick.

Contrary to proper belief, it is possible to watch a movie without kissing the whole time, I promise, it can be done.

"Get a room," I called as I brushed past them and Joe's hand slid up the back of her shirt, raising them hem along with it.

Joe chuckled. "Well, Hello, Bitter, thanks for coming out," he chimed, turning as I walked past rolling my eyes.

I'd almost made it to the end of the hallway when Demi rounded the corner. She scanned the hallway and her eyes widened briefly. I then saw her visibly wince at sight of the couple giggling against the wall.

My heart sank for her. Demi pushed a piece of her long brown hair out of her eyes and hers met mine with a sense of panic. I followed her gaze and I caught Joe's eyes shift from his ex girlfriend to his current one as he pulled Ashley in for a kiss. I groaned, knowing his intentions were only to upset Demi further and my gaze found hers again. That familiar hurt flashed across her face and she mumbled something unintelligibly before turning back the way she came.

I groaned, turning on my heels to face the giggling couple, Ashley seemingly oblivious to the game Joe was playing.

"Why do you have to do that Joe?" I demanded.

"Do what?" He feigned innocence.

"Dangle your new girlfriend in front of her like that. In case you forgot, you're the one that dumped her on her ass and broke her heart. Then you bring your newest form of amusement on tour! Don't you think you've hurt her enough? Why punish her every day? You're a sadistic asshole, Joseph," I shot him my most disgusted look and turned back the way I had been headed, putting as much distance between my brother and myself as I could.

I sighed, recalling how I'd witnessed it all. I'd watched Demi fall harder and harder for him every day, letting herself get in deeper than she intended. And I watched Joe's indifference, wishing she could see it too. I'd always known Demi was head over heels in love with him, it was so obvious. What I wasn't expecting was for Joe to treat her the way he did. I watched him break her, shatter her to her core, do irreparable damage, and I didn't see a hint of remorse in his eyes. Maybe he'd gone into it with good intentions, but he'd handled things so wrong, and she way paying the price.

* * *

I started to notice the toll it had truly taken on Demi a few days later. Everyone had been whining about how she was taking so long to freshen up after dinner and that we were going to be late for our night out, a rare occasion on tour. We'd had the day off so tonight could be spent walking a beach, getting ice-cream or seeing a movie—something most teenagers could do as they pleased.

"Demi?" I rapped on the door. "Demi, we have to get going, are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," her voice was rough. I heard the tap running.

I sighed before hesitantly turning the knob.

Her shocked tear streaked face and blood shot eyes greeted me as I took in the scene before me. She was leaning over the sink, a small amount of vomit she'd tried to rinse still visible in the sink.

"Are—Are you okay?" I eyed her cautiously.

"Fine, Nick," she replied quickly, her eyes pleading with me to leave her alone.

"Are you sick, do you need to lie down? I can stay back with you ..." I offered hesitantly.

"No, I uh, I just ate something that didn't agree with me," she offered me a weak half smile. "I'm feeling better now. I'll see ya in a minute," she encouraged, her eyes finding the door behind me once more. I nodded before turning to leave. I shut the door behind me.

A few minutes later she immerged, looking radiant as ever, her overly large smile hiding any hint of the pain I'd seen moments before.

"Let's Go, Nick! We're going to miss that stupid movie you guys want to see so badly," she chimed, grabbing my arm and leading me down the hall.

It amazed me, the facade this girl could put on. But what amazed me even more, was the unfamiliar feeling that spread through my body as she touched my arm.

* * *

Over the next few weeks it seemed I was always the one to witness her pain, either that, or everyone else turned the other cheek when it was clear she was anything but okay. Or maybe I just kept involving myself without truly noticing I was doing it, or understanding why.

"Can someone go ask Demi what she wants to order for supper? She's ignoring my text messages," Joe huffed in annoyance and I did the same to him.

"I'll do it." I shot up and moved towards her dressing room.

My knock on the door went unanswered, so like I found myself doing far too often with this girl, I intruded. I found her in the corner, staring at her laptop and crying. My heart broke for her once again. Why she was always in a state of sadness was beyond me, but I hated seeing it.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I moved towards her in the dimly lit room.

"N-nothing," she mumbled, slamming her laptop closed. "What do you want?"

"To find out what you want for supper, Joe's been waiting to order for like an hour, says you won't answer him. Ashley apparently wants pizza but—"

"Then I want anything but pizza," she responded swiftly.

I chuckled.

"Oh second thought, I'm not hungry. Order without me," she moved to swat at her ruined makeup.

"Demi, you have to eat. We did a three hour show tonight; you have to give your body some fuel..."

"My body has plenty of fuel; I'm just not hungry alright?" She snapped. I'd never seen this side of her. This girl had always been so bubbly and full of life, and lately, it was like all that was left of her was anger and sadness.

She stood up quickly and swayed gently. I stood to catch her by the wrist, steadying her and sending her a worried glance. She regained her composure, no longer light headed and I moved to let go of her. My hands felt something on her normally smooth wrist as I pulled away that caused me to look down in alarm. There were small raised lines on her wrist. It almost looked like she had...

My eyes widened in shock as they met her panicked face. She snatched her arm away quickly.

"Order without me," she repeated, storming out of the room.

I sighed, collapsing on the chair she'd previously occupied. My eyes wondered to her closed laptop and as my curiosity got the best of me, I found myself opening it.

"Lovato Vs. Greene: The Fight for Joe's affection" the headline read. It was a celebrity gossip site. I groaned but couldn't stop myself from skimming the article.

_Disney Heartthrob, Joe Jonas has landed himself in quite the predicament. After dumping Latino beauty Demi Lovato, he's quickly found himself a new woman, and she is something. Ashley Greene, most famous for her role as Alice in the ever-so-popular Twilight series is Jonas' new arm candy. Well it's clear that she's older and a natural beauty, we wonder how long this one will last. As for Lovato, sources tell us she was head over heels in love with Jonas, and as this unlikely love triangle travels the country together on tour, we're told it's clear she's still desperately in love with her ex boyfriend. So, the polls are open, who do you think will be the ultimate winner of Joe Jonas' heart?_

I scoffed, as wondered for the hundredth time who these sources were that somehow knew everything. I felt absolutely disgusted as I skimmed the article again and then moved onto the comments.

_Joe would be crazy to go back to Demi! Ashley is so pretty! Vampires for the win! _

_-kaitlyn, 13. _

I suppressed a chuckle.

_Demi sure could stand to lose a few pounds, her ass is starting to resemble Jennifer Lopez's. This Disney princess would also do well to get a boob job. I'm starting to wonder if there's even anything there. Also, that chin would be enough to turn me away. That thing is nastyyy. _

_-John, 16. _

Anger flared inside of me as I slammed the computer in much the same way Demi had earlier. Stuff like this had never gotten to me in such a way before, but seeing Demi so hurt over it had really struck a chord.

This whole situation was one gigantic mess.

* * *

As much as I tried to forget about everything, we all have our haters; something about Demi would just not let me forget. I couldn't help myself from stealing glances to make sure she was okay.

We were in a wardrobe fitting a few days later for the next leg of the tour when I looked over to see her tugging at her clothes self cautiously. The dress that she was wearing clung to her every curve in just the right places, making her look breathtakingly beautiful. I stopped for a moment just to admire her dark allure, and noticed her face scrunched into a wince. She tugged at the material around her stomach, pressing the skin there flatter, before moving to the part around her thighs.

"This seems tighter than it used to," I heard her mumble to the lady organizing her clothes on the rack.

"Same size, Mrs. Lovato," she smiled.

Demi sighed. I didn't understand. She looked great. I don't know why she couldn't see what we saw, but there wasn't ounce of extra fat anywhere on her body, and if there was, she would still look great.

I fluffed off the woman that was tugging at my pants and moved towards Demi.

I came up behind her and whispered for only her to hear.

"Stop that. You look beautiful." I said it sternly, but with a gentle edge. Her big beautiful eyes looked back at me in shock.

"I look disgusting," she answered, pain lacing her eyes.

"You are stunning," I insisted, nodding before turning to put myself at the mercy of a crazy Spanish woman with a measuring tape, once again.

* * *

As hard as I tried I just couldn't quite get Demi out of my mind. Something was clearly going on with her and she worried me. I just didn't understand why she couldn't see what the rest of the world saw in her, what I saw in her. I didn't understand why Joe didn't see it either, but she was tearing herself apart, and it was tearing me apart.

I told myself I was going to make a point of talking to her, to see if there was anything I could do to help. A few days later, after one of our shows, I did just that.

"Demi," I called as we ran off the stage.

She turned, giving me a wary look.

"Apparently we're stopping in a few hours before a border crossing, instead of driving straight through tonight. I was wondering if you have anyone riding on your bus with you?"

She shook her head. "Nah, my family went home for the South American leg."

"Well, since I won't sleep till we stop anyways, mind if I join you? We could hang out?" I offered, hopefully.

She contemplated a moment. "Sure, Nick. Thanks," she said, turning to go change. I nodded, noting how dull her eyes looked as they met mine.

I climbed onto her bus a few minutes later to find Demi already curled up on the couch in her PJ's, remote in hand as we left the venue. I was just in sweat pants and a ball cap, planning to shower when we stopped at a hotel for the night.

I plopped down on the couch beside her and she gave me a weak smile.

"Watcha watching?" I chimed.

"A re-run of CSI Miami in Spanish."

"Good thing you can understand it then," I chuckled.

She looked at me for a moment. "Oh, shit, yeah, sorry." She flipped through the channels and it turns out the only thing on in English was a news broadcast. She groaned but it didn't much matter to me anyways since it gave me a better excise to talk to her.

"Soo..." I said, as we both pretended to listen to the newscast. "I couldn't help but notice you've been a little down lately..." I pressed gently.

She shrugged. "I'm fine," she offered me a smile. "You wanna watch a movie or something? Cause I don't really care about the American economy and this guy's toupee is atrocious..."

"Demi," I huffed at her attempt to change the subject. "I'm worried about you," I admitted.

"Well don't be, Nick. I'm fine; I promise," she insisted, standing to find some DVDs.

I caught her wrist and pulled her back down again, trying to ignore the soft lines of raised skin I felt there. "No, you're not," I said sternly.

Her eyes pleaded with me. "Let it go, Nick," she begged.

"I can't," I admitted.

"Why," she pleaded.

"Because I care about you too much, Demi."

She regarded me for a long moment.

"Talk to me, please. I will listen; I want to try to help."

There was a long silence as she sat curled in on herself in the corner of the sofa, her head down as she thought. Her long dark hair fell in her face and I admired her beauty, once again wondering how Joe didn't see it.

"It's just everything, you know?" She looked up and her eyes met mine, they were glistening with tears.

"I just...I loved Joe...so much," she admitted. "A part of me still does, and it's just so hard watching him with her. He moved on so fast, and here I am still desperately and pathetically in love with him, and it's like...everything we were, meant nothing to him. I meant nothing," she paused and I saw her cheeks dampen with tears, my heart ached for her.

"I gave him everything," she admitted. "I lost my virginity to him when he said forever," she glanced at me, her eyes widening in shock at what she just admitted to me.

"It's okay," I encouraged.

"I fell so deeply in love with him, gave him every part of me and he really hurt me. Not only that, I just thought he would have the decency to give me a little time, you know? I'm stuck seeing his face everyday...and then he brings her. It's like he's flaunting her, throwing her right in my face, hurting me on purpose and I don't know why."

"I mean, what does she have that I don't? Why was I not good enough? Am I that ugly? That hard to be around? I mean is she that much better than me...I just, I'm starting to think so."

"No," I said sternly. "Joe's an idiot," I told her, shuffling closer to her on the couch. I grabbed one of her hands and her tear streaked face met mine, her makeup pooled beneath her eyes.

I reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear before gently wiping away a few of her tears. "Joe let an amazing girl get away. A girl who is a million times prettier than that vampire he's dating now," I teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. She offered me a half smile.

"I don't know why he couldn't see that you're so beautiful, and smart, and funny and you brighten the whole world with that smile of yours," I offered her a small smile of my own in encouragement.

"You're too sweet, Nick. I just—I—feel so alone on the road," she admitted. "I can't even go near him without seeing them together, and it hurts so much, and he's always...everywhere," she mumbled, a few more tears falling from her eyes.

"I know," I admitted. I slipped my hand from hers to her wrist and pulled it to my lips giving it a gentle kiss where the skin raised beneath my lips. She looked at me in shock.

"This scares me, Demi," I admitted.

She hung her head in shame and I gently tilted her chin up with one of my fingers to meet her eyes again. "And what I saw in the bathroom the other day, Demi, you can't do this to yourself. You're so beautiful; I wish you could see how great you are."

She winced, more tears falling down her face as she stifled a sob by biting her lip. "They're problems...that I've dealt with for a long time. I thought I had everything in control but, it turns out I'm so utterly out of control that I don't know how to get back."

"I just...feel so alone," she repeated.

"You're not. You have me; you have so many people who care about you and who love you, and as far as I'm concerned, you'll never be alone. Do you hear me?" I added sternly.

She nodded, biting her lip as more tears fell. I reached forward to cup her face gently and she leaned into my touch as a few tears fell onto our skin. I moved my thumb gently and soothingly against her skin.

"Nick," she breathed. "Thank you."

I nodded.

"I don't understand why you care so much," she admitted.

"Because I care about you, Demi, a lot and I wish everyone could see what I see in you. An amazing girl, with more talent than she even knows she posses and the most beautiful eyes. Someone who deserves to be treated right and loved and told everyday that she is amazing."

"That would be nice," she scoffed. "I thought Joe was that guy, but it turns out he doesn't exist," she shook her head.

"I beg to differ," I said before crashing my lips onto hers, the salt of her tears only making the experience that much more perfect.

I pulled away and she gently opened her eyes, a sense of wonder filling her face.

She touched her lips gently and stared back at me like a deer in headlights.

"I want to be that person for you. I care about you so much, but, Demi; I want you to get some help. What you're doing to yourself is so unhealthy, and one day, it's going to go too far. And I won't forgive myself if something happens to you, so please, get some help and I'll be with you every step of the way—if you will allow me to be."

She contemplated for a long moment before her lips found mine and we shared another perfect moment. Her lips seemed like they were shaped to meet mine, like they belonged there. But what made my heart really skip a beat was the happy sigh that escaped her when we pulled away, and for the first time in months, I saw Demi Lovato smile, a truly genuine smile.

**I started writing this before the Demi rehab/breakdown, so although I've worked some of that stuff in here, the end result isn't the same. It was originally just supposed to be a Nemi one shot about how difficult it must be for Demi on tour with Joe and Ashley there, and about Nick watching her suffer...and him falling for her, but as I worked some of the other stuff in there about her illness... it kind of became more about that, so I don't know this is what I ended up with. I'm kinda happy with it, kinda not. I can't decide if I even like this. It's written differently than I usually write...idk. **

**What do you guys think?**

**Also, I don't hate Joe and Ashley and I don't blame either of them for Demi's problems, this one shot was just very one sided because it was written about Demi. Anywho, thoughts would be greatly appreciated, I've wanted to write a Nemi one shot forever and I finally got around to it! **

**P.s. Fighting For Love was deleted by fanfic admins, boooo, but you can read it on JBFA!  
**

**xo**


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